The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of
28 on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely
New York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round
pick, No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.

Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at some of the
forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft
day. Today, we look at…

THN – “With a frame that screams pro, scouts are excited
about how strong Mark McNeill can get.Truth is, the young pivot may not even know his own strength right
now.But the Prince Albert Raiders star
is a smart kid who fast-tracked through high school and was responsible enough
as a forward to be trusted with point duties on the first power play unit.So he’ll figure it our pretty quickly.Hockey sense and composure allowed him to
take on that point man role, but McNeill’s best assets are still based on
physical aspects.‘He’s developed a very
versatile game as a power forward,’ a scout said.‘He plays well on the perimeter, but also
goes to the net well.’A gym rat who
doesn’t take short cuts when he trains, McNeill played right wing last year, so
he’s an adaptable forward and has excellent vision.Scouts see a player similar to Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan.”

The Scouting Report – "McNeill did a lot of things well this year. On a weak team,
McNeill proved that he could compete and succeed against the best players from
around the WHL with minimal help as he tallied 81 points in 70 games this year.
McNeill has a nice mix of speed, size and grit. He was among the fastest
skaters at the CHL Top Prospects game and combining that with his size and
grittiness make him hard to handle when he is on his game. He can be guilty of
taking the occasional shift off, but his combo of speed, skill and grittiness
(including a willingness to fight) allow him to project nicely as a 2nd line
center."

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – “This bull of a center is one of
the draft's meteoric risers. We talked to his former Prince Albert
teammate Ryan Button, who is in Providence of the AHL right now after
being traded to Seattle at mid-season, and Button raved about McNeill's
physical maturity (6-2, 210 and capable of getting even stronger sources say),
pure strength and skill package. McNeill scored 32 goals and 81 points for the
lowest-seeded team to make the WHL playoffs (and went out in the opening round
against Saskatoon),
and McNeill then had an excellent postseason as well, despite being the focus
of the Blades' checking attention. He's a powerful skater who goes to the net,
fights off checks and has the vision, hands and stick to be a legitimate scorer
at the next level.”

Corey Pronman - "Mark McNeill has been one of the major risers in this year's
class who looks like a very projectable player at the next level. McNeill is a
solid skater who gets up to a notable top speed and flashes decent agility. He
displays good conditioning and it is apparent in how he flies up the ice end-to-end
for full games. I don't think he'll be turning defenders around at the next
level, but he's going to be able to skate with the average pro. Mark has
above-average puck skills with the ability to be hard on the puck and protect
it, flash a solid deke, and make heady distributions with spurts of
above-average ability in that department. While I have not seen him get enough
scoring chances to get an accurate read of his shot, scouts I've talked to rave
about his shot mechanics and his placement ability with it. McNeill's best
quality is in regards to his hockey sense, as he thinks the game at a notably
above-average level and has a very advanced defensive game for a pre-draft
prospect. He comes back and supports his defenders on every shift with good positional
and physical play and rarely leaves the zone until he's sure there's no threat,
but yet still puts offensive puck possession pressure on the opposition. There
are very few holes in Mark's game, and he's a prospect that can fast track to
the NHL and be playing scoring minutes within a couple of years."

NHL.com – “Ask someone to name the best power forwards in
the NHL right now, and names on the list likely would include Rick
Nash, Ryan Getzlaf and Mike Richards. Prince Albert Raiders center Mark McNeill might be added to that list in the
coming years. Ranked 22nd by NHL Central Scouting in its mid-term rating of
North American skaters, McNeill has been wowing scouts across North
America with his impressive ability to make plays and power his
way to the net. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound center leads his team with 30 assists
and is second with 50 points in 45 games.‘He's one of those kids that has the ability to do so many different
things,’ Raiders coach/GM Bruno Campese told NHL.com. ‘He's got so much
upside to him. ... He's a powerful skater and has great hockey sense. He's got
very good basic skills and he's got the ability to be a real tough person to
play against. He's got the mental capabilities to understand the game as
well.’”

THN.com – “There hasn’t been a ton to cheer about in Prince
Albert in recent years, but McNeill and a young crew of Raiders are working
hard to change that. In fact, McNeill worked hard all summer in preparation.‘It was a huge off-season for me,’ said the
6-foot-2, 210-pound Edmonton
native. ‘I worked out five days a week for two-and-a-half to three hours with Barry
Butt of Premier Strength.’Butt’s NHL
clients include Jason Chimera and Jay Bouwmeester, which gave McNeill a chance
to see what the pros do. He also skated with NHL and American League pros every
Tuesday. The end result for the two-way power forward is 12 points in his first
nine games, good for second on the team. And, the Raiders are sitting second in
their division.‘We’re playing all 60
minutes and playing structurally sound hockey,’ McNeill said.Checking out Prince Albert’s roster, there is a lot of
youth alongside 2011 prospect McNeill, but so far it’s working. As for an Edmonton boy shacking up in Prince Albert (pop. 40,000), the big center
is loving it.‘Yeah, big city kid going
to a small town,’ McNeill noted. ‘But it was great coming to a town where
everything is Raiders. And it’s good to be looked up to by the little kids.’”

The Hockey Writers - “Mark McNeill, the Prince Albert Raiders powerful, gritty
forward showed why he should be a top 15 draft selection in this years NHL
Entry Draft last season. He uses a combination of grit, with good playmaking
ability to make him one of the top centers in the Western Hockey League.A player that thrives on being strong on both
ends, McNeill is also never afraid to drop the gloves and stick up for his
teammates. To add to his impressive total of 81 points this year, he also
finished with 53 penalty minutes.Defensively,
McNeill plays the shutdown role very well. He uses his strength and strong
positioning to easily knock opposing players off the puck. He is also a strong faceoff man,
which in addition to his strong defensive game makes him a good penalty killer.It will be very interesting to see how
McNeill progresses again next year. While playing for one of the worst teams in
the WHL McNeill was still able to put up a impressive point total, and
single-handedly carried his team for most of the year.The offensive aspect of his game is not often
discussed like his defensive aspects, but that doesn’t mean he is lacking one.
McNeill works hard along the boards, and can score while driving hard to the
next. He also has impressive playmaking abilities, which were overshadowing by
the teams lack of finishers this year.That
team that drafts Mark McNeill should think of it as a great investment for a
championship roster. Players like McNeill are important pieces to dynasties and
winning teams.”

Jess Rubenstein – “McNeill is someone to keep an eye on as he
has a strong playoff for Prince Albert
this year. Decent size and good skill and looks like his game is finally coming
together.”

Thoughts: McNeill sounds like the kind of players the
Rangers would target.He’s a big-bodied
center with offensive ability, but he plays a responsible game and isn’t afraid
to be involved physically.His whole
life revolves around hockey and he has the chance to develop even more.With a strong skill-set already in place,
McNeill sounds like a can’t miss pick.

The Rangers selected Dylan McIlrath out of the WHL last
year.McNeill’s frame may remind fans of
2003 first-round pick Hugh Jessiman, but he seems like a safe bet to succeed.